Elephant parades banned in the district until the 21st of this month

The decision was made in a meeting convened after an elephant ran amok at Manakkulangara Temple. The decision was taken by the District Monitoring Committee, chaired by the Additional District Magistrate (ADM).

It has also been directed that temples without registration under the District Monitoring Committee should not conduct elephant parades. If any unregistered temple holds an elephant parade, the elephant will be banned from that temple.

Though Manakkulangara Temple was registered with the District Monitoring Committee, the meeting decided to cancel its registration. The Forest Department reported violations of the Captive Elephant Maintenance Rules. According to the Forest Conservator’s report, the elephant was startled by the continuous sound of fireworks, which led to the incident.

The Kerala High Court has intervened in the case where three people lost their lives due to the elephant rampage. The court has ordered the presence of a Guruvayur Devaswom official. The Forest Department has also been asked to submit an explanation. The Devaswom Livestock Deputy Administrator must appear in person and provide a detailed report. Additionally, records related to the elephant's feeding, travel, and other registers must be submitted as per the directive.